The Task Force to Study Access to Mental Health Services will hold a public hearing on September 23, 2004 from noon until 3:00 p.m. at the Sheppard Pratt Conference Center Auditorium in Towson.
Families are encouraged to come and testify on the barriers they have encountered with private insurance when they attempted to access mental health treatment for their child.
Testimony should be submitted in writing. If you are not able to testify in person, written comments may be submitted to: Cynthia Petion, Mental Hygiene Administration, Spring Grove Hospital, 55 Wade Avenue, Catonsville, Maryland, 21228.
It is important to let the Task Force know what families have encountered. Contact the Coalition if you have additional questions. 410.730.8267
From the Executive Director
Caring for a child with mental health needs forces families to be flexible. Long term planning is often defined as “waiting to see how things go before deciding what to do that day.”
Transition planning is one exception to that rule. Transition planning for youth leaving high school must begin years in advance.
Because transition is such an important process and one that is daunting for most of us, we have devoted this issue of Family Focus to giving you information and resources on transition planning.
If you want more information, plan on attending the Coalition’s conference:
Transition Planning:
The Next Step in Your Child’s Life
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Villa Maria
2300 Dulaney Valley Road
Timonium, Maryland
Cost $20
To register call: 410.730.8267
We hope that the school year has gotten off to a good start for you and your family.
-Jane A. Walker
Executive Director
What are the legal requirements in IDEA for transition?
Student Notification and Participation: IDEA requires that for students, beginning no later than age 14, one of the purposes of the annual meeting will always be a discussion of transition service needs. Beginning at least by age 16, the discussion will focus upon planning for needed transition services. The school shall invite a student of any age with a disability to attend the IEP meeting if the purpose of the IEP meeting will be the consideration of transition services. This may include discussing:
- What the student wants for his or her future
- What needs or challenges are perceived as barriers to reaching student goals
- What accommodations and supports will support student efforts.
This reflects the importance of self-determination for the student in conjunction with the shared responsibility of agencies and personnel in attaining the student’s long-and short-term goals. If the student does not attend the IEP meeting, the public agency shall take other steps to ensure that the student’s preferences and interests are considered.
Parent Notification and Participation: Parents must be notified that the purpose of the IEP meeting will be to develop a statement of transition services needs for their son or daughter, who is also invited to attend the meeting. Beginning at age 16, or younger, if appropriate, this notification must also include any other agencies that will be invited to send a representative.
Agency Notification, Participation, and Responsibility: IDEA also requires that the school invite a representative of any other agency that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services. This reflects the value of long-term, child-centered coordination and shared responsibility. School staff need to be knowledgeable about the services and policies of community agencies in order to invite the appropriate people. Some of the possible agencies may include: vocational rehabilitation, employment and training, mental health, mental retardation/developmental disabilities, social security, housing, recreation, and others relevant to the individual’s needs and preferences.
If an agency does not attend, the school shall take other steps to obtain the participation of the agency in the planning of transition services. If the agency fails to provide the transition services described in the IEP, the school must reconvene the IEP team to identify alternative strategies to meet those objectives. Nothing in this part relieves any participating agency, including a state vocational rehabilitation agency, of the responsibility to provide or pay for transition services that they would otherwise provide to students with disabilities who meet their eligibility criteria. The financial responsibility for meeting a student’s transition goals are not meant to apply solely to the education system, but also to the agencies that the IEP team involves in meeting the transition objectives set out in the IEP.
Content of the IEP: IDEA final regulations state the importance of three core concepts:
- The involvement and progress of each student with a disability in the general education curriculum;
- The involvement of parents and students, together with general and special education personnel, in making decisions to support each student; and
- The preparation of students with disabilities for employment and other post school outcomes.
The actual IEP document includes:
- present level educational performance—may include information as it relates to post school goals and information from families, employers, and others;
- statement of transition service needs (age 14)—generally based on such factors as transition assessment, environmental barriers, and future adult goals;
- statement of needed transition services (age 16)—may include instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other postschool adult living objectives, and if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation;
- annual goals—generally based on long-term future adult goals (using assessment information and adult goals);
- short-term objectives or benchmarks—are measurable and represent steps to meet annual goals;
- statement of interagency responsibilities—generally includes information about who will provide needed transition services outside of the local education agency;
- statement of participation in state and district-wide tests—describes the modifications in the administration of these tests that the student will need. If a test is not appropriate for the student, the IEP must state why the test is not appropriate and how the student will be tested instead; and
- list of special education and related services—to be provided to or on behalf of the child, including supplementary aids and services, modifications to the educational program, and supports for school personnel, such as training or professional development, that will benefit the student.
Transfer of Rights: In a State that transfers rights at the age of majority, beginning at least one year before a student reaches the age of majority under State law, the student’s IEP must include a statement that the student has been informed of his or her rights, if any, under Part B of the Act, that will transfer to the student on reaching the age of majority. In addition, parents must be notified that all rights will transfer to their youth.
Resources
1. Maryland Interagency Transition website www.mdtransition.org contains comprehensive information, resources and links on transition services in Maryland.
2. National Center on Secondary Education and Transition -
www.ncset.org
NCSET coordinates national resources, offers technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities in order to create opportunities for youth to achieve successful futures.
3. Maryland State Department of Education publication,
Transition Planning & Anticipated Services: An Informational Guide for Students, Families and Professionals. Download from the MSDE website www.marylandpublicschools.org Go to Divisions/Special Education and Early Intervention/Publications and Reports
4. Transition to Independence Process (TIP) www.fmhi.usf.edu/cfs/policy/tip/systemdesc.htm
The Transition to Independence Process (TIP) is a project of the University of South Florida National Technical Assistance Center on Youth Transition. TIP prepares and supports youth and young adults (14-25 years of age) with emotional/behavioral difficulties (EBD) in their movement into adult roles -- and personal functioning and success -- through an individualized, developmentally-appropriate process.
